SACRAMENTO: Indian government’s attempt to convert the Babri Mosque into a temple to be named Ram Janam Bhumi was sharply criticized by the World Sikh Organization and the Sikh Muslim Friendship Society.
In a joint statement the WSO and the Sikh Muslim Friendship Society said that the whole issue ‘was communal and that the Indian government represented the interests of the Hindu majority. It was to appease this majority that the Mosque which is said to have been built by emperor Babur on the tuins of a temple commemorating the birth place of one of the hundreds of Hindu Gods Rama, ‘was now sought to be converted to a temple.
“We firmly oppose any attempts by the Hindu majority to subvert the rights of the minorities, in this case Muslims, and to forcibly convert the mosque into a temple. The Sikhs want the Mosque to be resorted forth with to the Muslims so that prayers could be held there. The Hindu government has been desecrating the places of worship of the minorities and should be stopped fortwith,” the statement said,
Another statement by Dr. Jagjit Singh Chauhan released in London also expressed the solidarity of the Sikhs with their Muslims brethren who were facing the wrath of the Hindu government in India. It said Babri mosque was and should remain a mosque. It also condemned the desecration of mosques in Kashmir.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 22, 1989
